Untamed Stallion
by icedragongurl
Summary: Rick's long lost niece is sent to live with him and his family, unfortunately along with her arrival comes new trouble for the O'Connell's. So they have to turn to the help of a good Medjai friend for assistance. Ardeth/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Untamable Stallion

**Author:** icedragongurl

**Rating:** T for swearing and god only knows what else.

**Movie:** The Mummy and The Mummy Returns

**Summary: **Rick's long lost niece is sent to live with him and his family, unfortunately along with her arrival comes new trouble for the O'Connell's. So they have to turn to the help of a good Medjai friend for assistance. Ardeth/OC

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything other then my OC's. Everything else is the wonderful creations of Universal Studios. I like Universal, I don't want to be banished from the theme parks for stealing that which is not mine.

**Chapters:** 1/**10**

_**blah**_= something spoken in Arabic.

"_**The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you."**_

_**~ Kendall Hailey**_

Tanis swore under her breath as she sat on the deck of a dilapidated excuse for a ship. The only reason she was even on a one way trip to Cairo, was thanks to one too many 'misunderstandings' with the officials. After she'd _accidentally_ set fire to her junior college, the worthless excuses for 'foster parents' had had enough. So, after spending years trying to find a surviving blood relative…her foster family was finally successful.

At the age of twenty, unmarried and rebellious towards any form of authority, it came as no surprise to Tanis that they shipped her off. They'd booked her a ticket and sent her supposed _Uncle_ a telegram. Imagine her shock upon learning that there was another O'Connell alive and well! Though Tanis was still trying to figure out why in gods' name the man lived in Egypt of all places! She sighed and brushed back a strand of her jet-black hair, tucking it behind her ear in exhaustion.

According to the dossier that she'd been given, her uncle was married to some sort of librarian/Egyptologist/archeologist. To top it all off, he had his own problems to handle. Which was the reason he'd been reluctant to let her come, but the large amount of cash the fosters had offered…made it impossible to say no. She cussed under her breath once more, as she fingered the blade at her side. It was all thanks to the money she earned doing odd jobs, that she now owned her weapons. The presence of the blades she had hidden about her person gave her an odd sense of comfort.

In her peripheral, Tanis could see one of the workers staring at her in horror. It was the tattoos, she was sure of it. Her lashes lowered to shadow her gunmetal eyes, each mark upon her flesh was a reminder. To ensure that leaving the past behind would never be possible. She ran a hand through her short black hair, the ends barely reached her shoulders. Leaving the tattoo upon her neck, free for all to see. In Latin were the words, 'Tempus Omnia Sed Memorias Privat'. Which translated meant, time deprives all but memories. The words were done in an elegantly artistic calligraphy, which arched across her shoulders and the back of her neck.

Before those false parents had thrown her on this shit excuse for a boat, she'd gone ahead and chopped off the hair they'd been so proud of. It had been the only thing that kept some form of feminine grace to her. The worker had vanished into the underbelly of the ship. Once Tanis was alone again, she pulled out a half-empty pack of smokes. Tapping the bottom against her palm, she took out the cigarette and put it to her lips. Didn't want to give the natives heart attacks, seeing as she was the antithesis to how women were expected to behave. Lifting a match to the tip, it glowed softly in the darkness of night.

Exhaling a small ring of smoke into the moonless sky, Tanis felt her nerves relax. It was pointless to get all high strung over something that was entirely out of her control. The night breeze made her three silver dangling earrings tinkle together, creating a sound like wind chimes. Her ears could pick up the sound of commotion upon the decks, and as the lights of the city grew even closer…she knew her freedom was vanishing by the second. Tanis fixed her red silk blouse which was vibrant against the small black vest she wore over it. Rather than deal with the hassles of a long skirt getting tangled around her legs, she'd purchased herself a fair share of trousers. It'd been a pain to smuggle them in her luggage, but anything was better than the atrocities her 'mother' had packed her. At one point, the captain had requested she cover herself more appropriately.

The loose fitting pair of black slacks she had on now was far less offensive. Tanis gathered her two bags of luggage, she couldn't help but wonder what this strange new life was going to be like. According to some gypsy she'd met on the trip, she was supposed to 'finally achieve her destiny'. Whatever the hell that meant. Her balance was thrown off as the ship docked at last. Only when she'd succeeded in regaining her equilibrium did Tanis head down the gangplank, with bags in hand. All her earthly belongings… all shoved into one large trunk, a decent sized duffle, and an old patched up rucksack.

Even though the sun had set over four hours earlier, there were a handful of individuals awaiting the death-traps' arrival. Honestly, that was exactly what the god-forsaken barge was. On the one-way trip alone she'd counted well over three dozen rats; heard at least half as many fights break out which nearly resulted in massive fires; and just as often the crew were patching up all the leaks they could find. Tanis wasn't going to even try to fathom the dangerously inedible state all the food had been in.

Amongst the faces of varying skin tones, were two fellows that caught Tanis's attention. From the description her 'mother' had given her… it certainly looked like the fellow alright. She hadn't the foggiest idea about the identity of the sketchy looking man with him. There was a quirk of an irritated smile and roll of the eyes, to whatever the scrawny guy said. Tanis caught her supposed 'Uncles' attention, and rather than waving in greeting…she arched a single black brow in curiosity.

He found his way through the small crowd, with the stranger tagging along rather frantically. All of Tanis's honed instincts screamed that the guy in the suit was a complete and utter coward. While the tense, and restrained look that her 'Uncle' gave her, told her that he was a cautious and intelligent man. Two complete opposites, just how in god's name did the two unlikely individuals get stuck together?

"I take it you're Tanis? The mysterious long lost niece?" His accent was overtly American, she pegged it was West/Southwest coast. She smiled at him in a hesitantly friendly manner, to which his hostility lowered by a bit. When Tanis offered him her hand, the coward caught a glimpse of her second tattoo. Positioned just above her heart, along her left collar bone, were the words 'Via Dolorosa' which meant 'The way of sorrow'. In reference to those she'd loved and lost. She gave the fellow a vicious grin, one to leave the Cheshire Cat jealous.

"If you find that one interesting… I have two more, care to see them?" She caught the hint of an amused smile as her supposed Uncle went to help with the wooden trunk. Apparently they both found this male to be insufferable, and they're sense of humor was oddly similar Tanis mused, perhaps he was her relative after all. The coward stuttered something incoherent, his accent betraying a British descent. The only two words she picked up were 'bloody' and 'no', everything else sort of blurred into a spew of syllables. Once the luggage was settled in, what appeared to be, a vehicle which had weathered quite a slew of abuse. She paused…was that an old blood stain on the door?

Having noticed her sudden pause, the Uncle took a gander at what she was so fascinated by. A muttered curse escaped him, all she caught was '_goddamned mummies'_. That was more than enough for her. Clearly this was a bunch of insane lunatics, Tanis estimated…she'd be out of her arse within the week. As the coward went to occupy the front passengers' seat, her Uncle caught him by the back collar. While holding the poor fellow in a rather uncomfortable position, he spoke in a tense yet commanding tone of voice which left very little room for argument.

"I thought we've discussed this…ladies get front seat. Unless we're in a life or death situation and you were carrying weapons. Seeing as that's not taking place at this moment…where do you sit?" Tanis couldn't help but chuckle, which caught both the males' attention.

" I carry my own weapons at all times thank you very much." The poor fellow blanched as he stumbled out of his mid-sitting position. Her uncle let out a bark of laughter before clapping the poor British companion on the back.

"Looks like yer screwed pal!" With that said, Tanis slid comfortably into the seat. She decided not to question why there was a dried up scorpion husk on the windshield. Let alone why there were random rolls of papyrus parchment rolling about on the floor. Though her uncle took notice and swore vibrantly as he gathered up the abused items. He pointed at her before saying in a serious tone,

"We do not tell my wife bout that." The coward peeked over at try to see what sort of blackmail he could obtain. This only earned him a shove back into his seat. As the engine warmed up, Tanis was impressed how well-maintained the vehicle sounded. Before she got the chance to truly admire the machinery, they were already off down the side roads. It felt odd not to travel along paved streets, but the desert wind was rather exhilarating. The rush of quiet was broken by her Uncles voice once more, though his attention was focused upon straight ahead.

"Never properly introduced myself. The names Rick. That son of a camel back there is my brother-in-law Jonathon. When we get to the house, if they're still awake… you'll meet my wife and son, Evelyn also known as Evy and Alex." They hadn't mentioned he'd had a son, not even in the dossier. How odd…maybe the information was outdated. Ah well…best to just go along with the ride. The night sky was the purest she'd ever seen. Stars were like brilliant spotlights blinding the heavens with their radiance.

By the time they finally reached the house, her neck had a crick in it from staring upwards the entire time. Once her attention refocused, Tanis realized…this wasn't a friggen house. It was a fucking mansion, compared to all the places she'd lived in prior… this was huge. Most of the lights were out except one, the front entrance. Her uncle, Rick forced the brother-in-law to lug in the trunk. It was a rather amusing sight to behold, the poor fellow struggled the whole entire way. Rick showed her to a well-furnished 'guest room' which was now to be hers.

Tanis was grateful that the color theme was of deeps blues and brilliant gold's. Last thing she need was to be chucked into pretty pink wonderfuckland. That would have killed her instantly, so she had to thank whatever deity had her back. Once Jonathon huffed and puffed it pathetically out of what was now '_her_' room…Rick paused before offering her his hand. Tanis arched a brow in curiosity before accepting the gesture.

"It might take some time…but, with us…you're family. We O'Connell's take care of ours. And whatever you pulled back in those old _homes_…probably don't even compare to the crap I did at your age." He let go of the firm grip, and Tanis was stunned stupid for the first time in a long time. Rick gave a small smile, as he headed to the door he called back.

"Oh, and don't hesitate to scream if something…_anything_ comes in through your windows or door. Though, I'm guessing by the gun you just tucked under your pillow… you're set." She chuckled nervously. All he did was chuckle, before closing the door behind him. After he left, Tanis sat and stared at the door. This was some sort of dream… if she fell asleep, she'd wake up back in that hell. Stuck in debutante balls, frilled dresses, and being guilted into dating assholes. A shaky sigh escaped, and for the first time…Tanis realized how tense she'd really been.

It took her all of seven minutes to get changed into her sleepwear, and burrow under the covers. The many layers of quilts, as well as the down-feather blanket atop kept her warm in the cold desert night. For the very first time… in far too many years… Tanis feel easily into sleep.

TBC~~~


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Untamable Stallion

**Author:** icedragongurl

**Rating:** T for swearing and god only knows what else.

**Movie:** The Mummy and The Mummy Returns

**Summary: **Rick's long lost niece is sent to live with him and his family, unfortunately along with her arrival comes new trouble for the O'Connell's. So they have to turn to the help of a good Medjai friend for assistance. Ardeth/OC

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything other than my OC's. Everything else is the wonderful creations of Universal Studios. I like Universal, I don't want to be banished from the theme parks for stealing that which is not mine.

**Chapters:** 2/**10**

_**blah**_= something spoken in Arabic.

"_**Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"**_

_**~Charles Reade**_

Tanis was awoken by a loud rapping on her bedroom door…god that sounded like something from Edgar Allen Poe. A grumble escaped her as she rolled back over, a second loud knock made her get up out of bed. Glancing at the clock, she couldn't help but scowl at the time. Eight in the friggen morning…gods…if it wasn't just to meet the rest of the family…she'd…she'd…well…she'd have screamed. Fighting the urge, at least she would be lazy, breakfast in pajamas. If it hurt the wife's delicate sensibilities… well she could go back into the kitchen and deal.

Fixing her bed-head into a semi-controlled manner, Tanis slipped into her slippers and tucked her knife in her pajamas pant pockets. Securing the black drawstring, so to ensure they didn't fall to her ankles in the hallway. She then trudged out into the horrid morning, shuffling down to where the sounds of morning were coming from. Upon entering the dining area, she was thrown back by the brilliant smile directed at her. Tanis was tempted to shield her face, who in heavens name was awake first thing! Biting her lip to keep the hiss from slipping free, the wife greeted her enthusiastically.

"You must be Tanis! I'm sorry I wasn't awake to greet you properly. Fell asleep at my desk working on translating some old manuscripts-" she was cut off as Rick sauntered in and snatched the toast from his wife's plate.

"Because no harm ever came from messing around with anything old and Egyptian in nature!" this earned him a heated glare, to which he simply smiled in an unfazed manner. Tanis blinked several times, as if trying to will her brain to begin catching up already. Evelyn seemed to have realized the delayed reaction,

"Oh dear… you're not a morning person, are you?" to this the American girl shook her head rather pitifully. Rick chuckled at that, immediately her 'aunt' began to fuss over her.

"How about I get a pot of coffee ready for you? In the meantime…could you go check up on my son? He really should have come down already." Tanis willed her mind to sprint faster, that way she was able to nod in agreement… anything for coffee… anything for the caffeinated beverage of the Gods! As she trailed up the staircase, towards where her Uncle had mentioned the generally location of his sons room…it occurred to Tanis's sleep-laden brain… she had no idea where she was actually going. As she stood in, what was now some forsaken lost place in the mansion…Tanis felt like crying in frustration for the very first time since she'd been a child.

Not that she actually would... no matter how tempting it was. Fine, at the first big double-set of doors, she pushed open to discover…the library. Holy hell…it really was a library! Unable to focus her thoughts upon her previous task, Tanis was enraptured. Her one biggest weakness…books. Well, coffee and books… but who was counting really? Gently she trailed her hand along the spines, weaving up and down the aisles. Hesitating only upon the sound of approaching feet, small pitter patter upon hard-wood. Her task was brought to mind, and with a curse she headed back towards the hallway.

As Tanis turned the corner, a scream tore clean from her throat. At eye level was a snake! A rather big fucking snake at that! She didn't even realize who was holding it, Tanis stumbled backwards in terror. All too quickly she managed to get out her blade. The boy just kept coming towards her, with that _damned_ slimy reptile! Another scream escaped her as the boy nearly tripped, and for all of a split instant the thing was midair! Then everything happened so quickly, Tanis barely had time to react.

Her arm went to swing down in a defensive reaction, which…if it had been some lesser fool with a blade and slippery palms… could have ended terribly for the snake as well as boy. Before she could even begin to move downwards, a strong calloused grip captured both wrists. Her uncle also managed to capture the creature with a mind-blowing feat of agility. Tanis still was unable to quell the panic in her chest. Snakes… why fucking snakes! She couldn't stand the damn things! Ever since the winter when she'd been seven and a garden snake managed to somehow get into her bedding. The thing had slid right up her nightgown…she still got chills from it.

Even as Rick chastised his son for bringing in another _pet _home, her brain couldn't get out of its adrenaline stupor. Though…if her uncle was standing in front of her…yelling at the kid…then…who-who the hell was restraining her! Instantly Tanis twisted her arms in a way which would have broken free from a less-educated mans' grip. Instead Tanis simply found herself wrapped in a rather…awkward position… with a rather- handsome looking fellow. Who in gods name was he? Ordinarily she'd have continued to fight back…especially given the way the stranger was glaring dangerously at her. Except Rick's timely intervention managed to save her senses.

"Ardeth… I swear to all that is holy, if you're going to tell me that the apocalypse has been brought about, once more by my wife stubbing her damned toe on a dresser from the old kingdom…you won't be leaving in one piece." The native gave Rick an expression which showed his general lack of amusement. Tanis was also extremely irritated at the given situation, growling low in her throat she spoke before her captor could,

"Not that I don't enjoy the view…but would you _let go of me!_" She went to hook her foot behind the man's ankle, a sure-fire way to bring him to the floor. Unfortunately, he managed to side-swipe it away with a grace that startled her. This clearly wasn't some wanna-be-warrior, this man Ardeth seemed to know a thing or two about fighting. Rick removed the butterfly knife from her hands, which earned him a pointed glare. She had had the damned thing engraved with an important date. It was the one thing she always kept on hand.

Tossing the snake out the library window, to which the child yelped in disbelief, Rick flipped the knife back closed. The warriors' eyes followed her Uncles movements diligently. In the end her savior came in the form of Evelyn, coming in with hands on hips, and a look like an aggravated school marm. Evelyn noticed the man Ardeth and it dulled her anger by the slightest degree,

"Alright already, enough of this chaos. Rick, please don't throw animals off the second floor. Alex, you know better than to parade around, shoving your creatures in people's faces. Ardeth, would you please let go of my niece?" The two O'Connell males tried to plead their innocence, but was cut short by another pointed look. Tanis was fascinated by the range of emotions that flew across the warriors face. The rough hands released their grip, though it was clear that his muscles were still tense. She smiled smoothly in response, the annoyance was still present.

Tanis was shaken as the warrior placed a hand over his heart and bowed respectfully. She noticed that his robe matched the color theme to her room, all deep blues and swirls of silver. Her mouth opened, only to close once more at a lack of any rational response.

"My most sincere apologies, but given the O'Connell's tendency towards break in's by unsavory sorts… I'm sure you can understand my actions." Well…having finally heard his voice there was no way in hell Tanis could bring herself to argue with that. Wait…what? Had he said… break in's? Her gunmetal eyes stared in disbelief at Ardeth before shifting to her Uncle. Utter confusion danced across her features, did her Uncle really have a bad habit with attacks? Rick scratched the back of his head awkwardly, while holding his son by the shirt collar.

"How's about we go down and start breakfast? We'll explain everything at the table." It was hard to argue with the aroma of fresh coffee, Tanis nodded hesitantly. All while keeping the warrior within her peripheral the entire time. Taking in every trait to him that rather piqued her interest. Each stride he took was measured in pace, through what must have been many years of diligent training, yet also as fluid as a honed predator. Rick was trailing behind, chastising the young boy each step down the hallway. Evelyn was discussing something about her newest manuscript rather avidly with the man Ardeth.

Her enthusiasm brought a small smile to the warriors face. Tanis took note of it, Evelyn and Rick must have known the man for many years to be so comfortable around him. For her something about him made her fighting side rise up with bristled fur, and at the same instant… she glanced at the man again. His earthy brown eyes met her own, just as they connected Tanis immediately looked away. This was ridiculous! Here she was reacting like some sort of feminine girl. A deep scowl crossed her features, what was wrong with her!

Immediately the scent of the divine beverage of the Gods helped to change gears in her mind. Perhaps once her uncle gave her a bit of his family's back story everything would make more sense. In the meantime… she made sure to sit at the furthest possible spot from the man Ardeth. Though the way his gaze was burning into her skull was making her twitch nervously. Now Tanis _really_ wanted her knife back.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Untamable Stallion

**Author:** icedragongurl

**Rating:** T for swearing and god only knows what else.

**Movie:** The Mummy and The Mummy Returns

**Summary: **Rick's long lost niece is sent to live with him and his family, unfortunately along with her arrival comes new trouble for the O'Connell's. So they have to turn to the help of a good Medjai friend for assistance. Ardeth/OC

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything other then my OC's. Everything else is the wonderful creations of Universal Studios. I like Universal, I don't want to be banished from the theme parks for stealing that which is not mine.

**Chapters:** 3/**7**

_**blah**_= something spoken in Arabic.

"_**The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness."**_

_**~Norman Cousins**_

"So…let me get this straight. You technically…died." This earned her a bewildered response. After hearing the whole story, all Tanis could ask was if Evelyn had actually been dead and gone. Though they all just seemed flabbergasted that she'd handled the whole mummy apocalypse so well, Tanis was shocked. Honestly, in a world as vast as theirs… how could there not be reality to some of the occult? Her aunt nodded in confirmation, which made Tanis pause in thought. So many things she'd feared secretly… all of them finally answered.

"…Do you…can you remember…anything? I mean…were you…was there…" she stammered incoherently even after her fifth cup of Joe. Shaking hands cradled her sixth cup, but the tremors weren't from a caffeine buzz. At this point Ardeth was leaning against the wall behind Evy. Watching each of Tanis's reactions with an analytical interest. There was a long pause, in which her uncle took his wife's hand soothingly. She could understand the pain of losing loved ones, no matter how brief the loss lasted.

"I can't explain it…but there was definitely something. Don't know if it was Heaven, but it was peaceful." Tanis swallowed back the grateful sob of relief. So there was hope. That her family found the place she'd always been terrified hadn't truly existed. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, fighting the overwhelming surge of emotions. A hand came to rest upon her own which clung to the mug. Evelyn watched her sympathetically, and if it had been anyone else… she'd have turned hostile. Giving in, Tanis took the older woman's hand within her own.

For the first time since that day sixteen years earlier, she felt the need to speak. To tell about what she'd seen that night, what had started her path to the table they sat around. As much as she had read about her Uncle, they weren't given any information about her life. All the horrors she'd faced, and the pain she'd endured. For the first time, her shields lowered significantly. Lowering her gaze down to the wooden tabletop, Tanis spoke with a tremulous voice.

"I'm-I'm not sure how much you were told about me…I have a feeling, nothing at all. The people who contacted you… were not my real parents. My family died when I was seven years old. To be more accurate… they were murdered in our house just before I got home from playing with a friend. It was-" she exhaled shakily, as the memories still sat fresh in her mind. Every last little detail blaring bright as a forest fire.

"- horrible. I'd never…seen so much blood. I wasn't even able to go to their funeral. Right after the Officials arrived, I was taken off to an orphanage. Shifted around from foster home to foster home. It was one failure after a next. I've lost many a friend, made through less-scrupulous means. I've lost my faith, and all I have ever wanted to know…was that there's a chance my parents are at peace. Somewhere, somehow…they are safe." Rick frowned deeply…why had no one told him of her existence earlier on. Sure he wouldn't have been able to do anything before he'd met Evy…but at least after they'd finally gotten settled down.

The room was morbidly quiet, as if they were all too scared to break the tenseness of the atmosphere. Alex swung his legs in a nervous fashion, playing with his cuff buttons. Evelyn watched her with such heartbreaking sorrow, as if tempted to try to make all the wrongs right. Rick continued to scowl in frustration at how irresponsible it had been to just leave her to such a terrible childhood. Ardeth still remained silent, but Tanis could tell that he'd heard every word. The silence lingered for far longer than she would have liked.

Tanis dared a glance at the stoic warrior, and his expression startled her. He was watching her with a look that was both fascinated and yet unapologetic. Ardeth understood that she wasn't looking for sympathy or regret. All she wanted was to get something heavy off her shoulders. Pity was far from what she desired, and he knew that. Even with that, there were unasked questions lingering behind his well-controlled facial mask. She had to look away from the fierceness, it gave her the feeling as if he could see past all of her emotional covers. It was a sensation that greatly unnerved her.

"Listen..." her uncle spoke with the same confident way he seemed to approach every aspect of his life.

"I'm not sure what kind of life you had before here-" and here it was, exactly what she'd prepared herself for. To be shut out from this delightful little family life. God, this had to be a new record for her… barely even twenty-four hours. He nudged her ankle with his foot, giving her stern look, as if he'd plucked her exact thoughts right out of her brain.

"Stop trying to decide what words are gonna come out of my mouth." Tanis flustered sheepishly, Evelyn squeezed her hand reassuringly. Almost as if to apologize for her husbands curtness, in a silent manner. It brought a small smile to the girls face, she had to admit that it was rather comforting. Having someone that was actually trying to be supportive, even though she barely knew her. Rick continued speaking as he rest his elbows upon the table and leaned forward.

"I don't know what sort of life you had before now… but all this means, is that we have to make up for the lost time." This brought her head snapping upwards from its previously slouched position. Steel eyes wide in complete disbelief, she stared at her uncle with a slack mouth. Most people would have sooner chastised her for talking about something so inappropriate as her parents murder. She was far too used to the propriety of modern society. Evelyn chuckled softly, as she shifted her hand to now rest upon her husbands shoulder.

"You may want to close your mouth my dear. This time of year there are a lot of flies about." This made her jaw snap shut, she continued to stare in disbelief. Then it was the tension simply melted away into nonexistence. Alex reached for the butter, as Jonathon finally joined them for breakfast. If she hadn't known better, Tanis would have guessed he was nursing a nasty hangover. As he flopped unceremoniously into a chair, it took a few moments before he noticed the warriors presence. Reconfirming her decision that it was a miracle the man was still alive given the adventures her Uncle had undergone.

"Uh…" he glanced around in confusion.

"Did I miss something?" Rick just sighed in exasperation at his brother-in-laws obliviousness. Obviously the idiot had managed to sleep through the whole drama like a corpse. Hell probably the mummies slept lighter than Jonathon! With that, everyone settled in to a regular morning meal. Tanis felt like she was riding on a wild train ride with crappy brakes. The shifts in mood were so drastic it was almost as if her entire equilibrium was thrown off. She took note of the warrior wandering off towards, what must have been the living area.

After a few pieces of toast, and nearly five cups of coffee, she finally felt stable enough to go make herself somewhat presentable. Tanis excused herself from the table before leaving back towards her room. _Her_ _room_, god it still felt weird for her to call it that. These people continued to break her brain into thousands of tiny pieces. Closing the door behind her, Tanis stared at her trunk which was sitting against the bottom of the bed. It was so beat up from all the moves she'd made throughout her life.

While the contents may have changed, the outside was still the same dark wood she knew as a young child. One true thing connecting her back to her real family. From within Tanis retrieved an outfit for the day, along with the small makeup kit. All were simple in nature, she'd never fancied the idea of plastering up ones face into a mask. Gently she combed her hair into its tasteful state of disarray, letting the short locks of black hair fall where they choose to. Pulling on a deep crimson peasant blouse, she then proceeded to button up her black vest over it.

Tanis had always preferred vests, denim, suede, velvet, didn't matter to her. Though simple was better, her own personal motto. Zipping up her dark pants which fell to her calf, many women had stared in abject horror at this particular pair. She'd had a feminist friend sew them for her many years back. The other girl had been positively gleeful at the concept, anything to screw with _'the man'_ as her friend as so eloquently put it. Buckling her braided leather belt around her waist, Tanis then put on her earrings from the ship ride. Applying just a hint of a dark gold eye shadow, and she was set for whatever the day chose to throw at her.

Placing her knives into their hidden holsters, Tanis headed out to rejoin her newfound _family_. Such an odd word… for so long she hadn't been willing to acknowledge its existence. Now, she had no choice but to see the reality of it. For the first time, Tanis had hope that this would actually work out. So long as the runt didn't throw snakes in her face again. A sardonic chuckle escaped her as she exited her room. She still had to get her blade back from her Uncle…speak of the devil!

As the thought passed through her mind, the blade appeared before her very eyes. The mysterious warrior held it out to her, which startled her. She hadn't even heard him approach down the hallway, and it wasn't like the wooden floors didn't creak! Tanis' mouth opened to speak, but closed once more from lack of anything truly worthwhile to say. He rose a brow in intrigue, to which she huffed furiously and swiped the blade from his hand. Tucking it safely into its place of hiding upon her person. The location, brought a startled expression upon the poor fellows face, snug between her chest. It was small and compact enough that she could hide it in the one place no true gentleman would ever actually look. That included cops.

"Don't judge!" She snapped at him as she started off down the hall, "I'll have you know that this little beauty has gotten me out of more trouble than I can care to remember." Did he chuckle!? No, Tanis glanced over her shoulder at the man…the smirk upon his face was proof. He'd indeed laughed at her explanation. When he spoke, her footsteps faltered for a moment…god damned if he didn't have a seductive friggen voice!

"I understand. A true warrior knows how to always keep at least one weapon concealed from his enemies at all times." Well… if that didn't shut her up faster than a platter of home made cheesecake and brownies. What? She had a weakness for sweets! Tanis stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment. Unable to think of any other way to respond, she offered her hand in apology for her hostile behavior,

"Name's Tanis. Tanis Mckenna." He looked at the proffered limb, before giving a small but still serious smile and accepting the gesture.

"Ardeth Bay."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Untamable Stallion

**Author:** icedragongurl

**Rating:** T for swearing and god only knows what else.

**Movie:** The Mummy and The Mummy Returns

**Summary: **Rick's long lost niece is sent to live with him and his family, unfortunately along with her arrival comes new trouble for the O'Connell's. So they have to turn to the help of a good Medjai friend for assistance. Ardeth/OC

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything other then my OC's. Everything else is the wonderful creations of Universal Studios. I like Universal, I don't want to be banished from the theme parks for stealing that which is not mine.

**Chapters:** 4/**10**

_**blah**_= something spoken in Arabic.

"_**You (men) are not our protectors… If you were, who would there be to protect us from?"**_

_**~Mary Edwards Walker**_

He couldn't begin to fathom the young woman before him. Ardeth watched quietly as the girl had wandered out into back yard of the O'Connell's house. She immediately pulled off her vest, tied her blouse into a knot leaving her midriff exposed… and collapsed onto the ground. Not caring whatsoever at who may be watching at that given moment. Ardeth scowled deeply, this was not proper behavior for a girl such as her. Though it was not his place to say anything in regards to such an issue. Other than their brief introduction, they hadn't really spoken words. Though there was something enjoyable in the silence, perhaps that had been the reason he'd accompanied her outdoors.

She let out a soft sigh of contentment, before rolling over onto her stomach. Permitting the view of her sleek back. At the base of her spine were words written in elegant handwriting, and above the words were what appeared to be…wings. Though they were torn and tattered, he was certain that they were meant to represent a sort of angel wings. Having noticed his interest, the girl propped her chin up upon her arm and smirked teasingly.

"You can come closer to look if you want to see what it says. Though I doubt you'd be able to read it." The warrior couldn't help but feel taken aback by such an offer. Instead of giving a curt answer, he merely shook his head. Which only made her grin from ear to ear, as if he'd given her some sort of challenge. The girl elegantly flipped onto her feet in a swift little spring. Stretching her limbs out, before crossing the lawn to join him. Ardeth kept his gaze firmly focused upon her own steel colored eyes. Tanis smiled mischievously, before patting him upon the arm.

"Tell you what, when you decide to work out all that tension you're carrying in those battle-honed muscles… give me a call. I'll be more than happy to assist." With that, she adjusted her garments to return indoors. Leaving the poor Medjai shell-shocked in her wake. Tanis headed for the library, interested in seeing what sort of old books her aunt had. Half-way up the stairs her ears had already picked up the sounds of the warriors approach. At least he wasn't a coward… she had to give him points for that. She smiled fondly at the book shelves, this was what she always considered like home to her. Books, rows after rows of them. Both old and new.

It was in alphabetical order, and in accordance to topic. The largest collection involved ancient history, Egypt obviously. Tanis removed a book from its spot, reading the cover before scoffing derisively. 'The Ancient Gods of Mythology'… Gods …right …cause they totally existed. That rough deep baritone spoke once more, sending chills along her spine.

"Don't believe in higher beings?" he rested gently against the side of a book case. Watching her with intelligent sharp brown eyes, Tanis shifted her balance from foot to foot. The topic always made her feel extremely awkward, faith wasn't something she had a lot of. Especially not when it came to the idea of God. There was so much crap in the world, a majority she'd personally experienced (at least when it came to basic human nature). When you had a dagger in your shoulder being twisted, just so your torturer could relish in the sound of your agonizing shrieks….well…it was impossible to have faith after such an encounter. When her silence was the answer to his question, Ardeth spoke once more,

"How is it you've endured so many trials…and come out unscathed, yet still have no ability to _believe_?" the anger boiled forth from deep within the darker corners of her heart. Harshly she returned the book of mythology to its spot upon the shelf, her shoulders squared angrily. Without casting another glance in his direction, Tanis continued to peruse the aisles of books. Her fingertips lovingly caressed each binding so gently as if terrified they could dissolve into a pile of dust and ash. It took several tense minutes for her to answer in low sharp tone of voice,

"After all the cruelty I've seen mankind be capable of…how could I? After all the stupidity of humans that you've witnessed… How can you keep yours?" She paused upon her favorite novel, it was the newest thing from England… The Portrait of Dorian Grey. So many dark shadows of mankind twisted into lingual artistry unlike any other. Tanis hadn't realized the small smile that graced her features as she cradled the book lovingly within her hands. As her eyes devoured the first paragraph of the novel, Tanis found her attention interrupted as the Medjai spoke once more.

"It is simple, everything that occurs was preplanned. Perhaps it took resurrecting Imhotep for Rick and Evelyn to find each other. No matter how horrible something may seem…there's always a reason we are unable to see the outcome." She couldn't contain the acidic scoff that escaped her mouth so quickly that there'd been no way to stop its delivery. How precious was this? The loyal warrior of '_God_' trying to persuade her to have faith in some divine being above all else. Settling into a particularly comfortable spot at the bay window seat, she retorted so softly that the defeat lingered behind her words.

"So preaches the loyal to the jaded." She burrowed her attention entirely into the pages before her eyes, not that she was actually getting any real reading done. As she watched him in her peripheral vision, his movements were swift and extremely agile. One moment he'd been leaning back against the books case, the next second her book was removed from her hands. Tanis directed the most lethal glower possible at the male, his expression remained stoic and yet rather contemplative,

"It still remains to be seen just how faithless you really are." His voice was addictive from such a close distance, it would have been far to easy to just close that gap between them. She couldn't help but wonder if his lips would be as rough as the rest of him. There was one hell of an appeal to the caramel tinged skin tone, especially when one knew that all those calluses and scars came from serious training as well as many years of battles fought and wars won. The aggravation dissipated into nothingness far too easily for her own personal taste. She reached for her book as the question spilled forth.

"What makes you say that?" All he did was give her a mysterious look with those delectable chocolate colored eyes. When Ardeth finally answered, his voice was at ease, far more relaxed

"If you did not believe, then the existence of an afterlife wouldn't have held such significance for you."

"…I wouldn't expect someone that has only been in my presence for, maybe three hours... to understand my logic. So let me sum it up for you, Mister Ardeth Bay. I've seen and done many terrible things, all out of necessity and I'm not proud of a single damned one of them. The knowledge of an afterlife is comforting for me, in term of my parents being a better place. For me on the other hand, there's no happily ever after for me." The expression upon the desert warriors face brought her irritation forth once more, and she didn't hide it,

"No, don't give me that look. I've made my peace with what I've done, each was an act committed only after being carefully thought through. If that doesn't sentence my _soul_ to damnation… then your supposed 'God' has a very _interesting _view on justice." She snatched back the book which was held loosely in the Med-jai's hand. Ardeth didn't put up any sort of fight, knowing that any damage to the object would probably win him the wrath of two females. Tanis tucked a finger into the book to save her page, but did not pick up where she'd left off.

"I must respectfully disagree with you. Do you believe your Uncle to be a pious man? From what he has told me… Rick too has a _colorful_ past, but do you think he doesn't deserve the right to paradise?" The warrior made an interesting point, and now having gotten a little more familiar with the O'Connell… it was certainly something to think upon. Last she'd overheard, Rick had gotten himself on the wrong side of the officials more times than could be counted on fingers and toes. So perhaps she was better off than she'd always thought. An exasperated sigh escaped her, it was too damned early for a philosophical and spiritual debate.

"No…but…" Tanis was weak in her self-defense, and it was very apparent from her loose body posture. He continued, and it was hard to brush off his logic. Why did the guy have to make so much damned sense?! He leaned against the side of the book case across from her, arms crossed over his chest. Every sign pointed to the warrior being relaxed, yet still prepared if the entire situation were to change spontaneously. Given what everyone was saying about her new family, was not an uncommon surprise. His delightfully accented voice was soothing and something she could settle into comfortably.

"Every human being has the ability to change their paths in life, it is of my opinion… that you have the opportunity here and now to choose who you wish to become." This earned him a skeptical look from the young woman, though a small smile played across her features. If things did continue to play out positively for her…if this did finally become her permanent residence of choice… than she couldn't help but look forward to getting to know more about this Ardeth Bay. He was quite the amusing character, like something out of a classic adventure tale.

"Has anyone told you… you have a very monk like aura to you?" Her tone of voice held a teasing lilt to it, and it earned her a bemused look from the Med-jai.

"Monk like?" His tone was curious, and the confusion was utterly adorable upon him. That she would tell him that, probably embarrass the poor fellow for all eternity if she did. Content with bringing the conversation to an easy close, Tanis reopened her book. Focusing upon the paragraph she'd left off on when the jerk swiped it away from her in the first place.

"Yeah… though hard to imagine you without those midnight wavy locks." This earned her a spontaneous burst of coughing, he was completely taken aback by her response. Ardeth could only stare at her in dismay, while clearing his throat. Tanis could read the silent plea in the mans eyes that she ease up on the flirtations. Clearly this side of the world didn't look fondly upon blatantly open flirting. Especially if it was coming from the female rather than the male. This was going to _definitely _be a very interesting place to call home.

"Sorry? Too much?" her lips quirked up into a smile, unable to hide her amusement at his discomfort. For a long moment he seemed to study Tanis intently, before just shaking his head in dismay. Ardeth cleared his throat, as she returned her attention to the book. She couldn't help but raise a brow in intrigue when the male responded gruffly,

"Do all the women where you're from act this way?" His genuine curiosity made it impossible for her not to laugh. Ardeth seemed somewhat offended by her response, but Tanis gave him a sympathetic pat upon the shoulder. Rising from her spot, she closed the book and returned it to its home upon the bookshelf with its brethren. Before Tanis left the room to see what the rest of her family was up to, she paused to glance back over her shoulder.

"I'm one of a kind Mister Ardeth. Get to know me better, and you'll learn that first hand." She gave him a playful wink, then vanished down the hall towards the stairs. Leaving an extremely bewildered Medjai in her wake once more. All Tanis could think, while humming a delightful tune, was that this was most certainly going to turn into the adventure of a lifetime.

TBC


End file.
